Flame of Memory
by Asher Elric
Summary: Tom only has happy memories of Fathers Day. Black for the past and White for the Future. A early fathers day story. One shot mentions of Doug/Tom


Summary – Tom hated oat meal

Summary – Tom hated oat meal. (This is a fathers day fic)

A/N – Happy Father's day to all of those out there. My parents couldn't have children on their own because my Mom has an ovary disorder. So, they had to adopt me and my siblings. Anyway, Father's Day is especially special to me because the day my parents picked me up from the Foster family was Father's Day. That day when they went to Church, the pastor asked for all the fathers to stand up and go to the stage, they noticed Dad and asked him why he was up there and he said that they were going to get their little girl that afternoon. Q.E.D. Me. So. This is dedicated to my Dad!

_Dedication – To my Dad. Because he happens to be my life line. _

**Flame of Memory**

_June 15 was always a special day. Father's Day happened to be not only be the day the Hanson family celebrated the day of Fathers, but also little Tommy's birthday. It was very weird how the day co-existed for both men of the family. However, it was something that the family treated as religious. _

_In the morning, Mrs. Hanson would treat the family to home made pancakes, eggs and bacon. Then they would dress and make it to church five minutes late, but, they were still in time for the worship before the pastor's talk. Church would last two hours and when they got home they would open presents. _

_Each got four presents, one with "Happy Birthday" on it and the other "Happy Father's Day" – Tom and his father would take turns opening one present at a time while Mrs. Hanson would take pictures. After presents they would have lunch, it was different every year, but for this particular occasion, Mrs. Hanson made fried chicken, green beans with a vinegar sauce, mash potatoes and for desert a chocolate angle food cake with strawberry's. She was glad that the cake was one thing both her husband and son could agree on for desert (if she gave them a choice that is). _

Tom let the memory fade. He didn't remember words, he didn't remember if on that particular day it was sun or rain – but, as he lit both the white candle and the black candle, Tom couldn't help but remember when he had come across this little ritual.

He had gone to Mexico for a week of vacation, things had gotten too stressful at work and Doug and he had broken up for a time to figure out life and what have you. So, Tom went South of the Boarder and while he stayed in one of the big tourist town, he saw an old woman kneeling before a cardboard box. She had a cloth of red covering her make shift table. He had a picture of what Tom could only assume to be her son sitting behind two candles, one white and one black. After she was done doing whatever it was, Tom asked her in halting Spanish what it meant.

Signora Adelita had explained to him that the black candle meant her mourning of the past, the white candle meant the purity of the future. Therefore, by lighting both candles she was showing her hope of the future while she always remembered the past.

It was weeks later when Tom actually realized what she meant. For her Spanish was very fast and he hadn't been able to catch all of it. But, he did remember one thing:

_**" Siempre habrá esperanza. Siempre debe tenemos fe!"**_

_**There will always be hope. We must always have faith!**_

That was when Tom had gone out and gotten himself a white and a black candle. He repeated these words in Spanish as he lit both. The picture of his father in his Police Uniform with a young Tom standing in front of him with a plastic police hat sat behind the candles. Bowing his head, Tom sent a prayer for his family. Tom couldn't bring himself to hate Fathers Day – Father's Day was when you were happy because that person in your life that (besides you Mother) was your life line, that person who taught you life and how to be practical would want you to be happy. No matter where you were or what you were doing.

"Happy Father's Day…Dad…" Tom whispered.

--

A/N – Okay, I do not know when Tom's birth day is, but, I wanted it to be on the same day as Father's Day.


End file.
